Free · Four mock papers and practice by topic · One order to work them in

ESAT: Start Here

There are four sample papers and practice questions filed by topic published free on this site, full timed papers in ESAT practice, and the shortcut library, the essentials guide and the diagnostic. That is a lot to land on with no order to it. This is the order, dated backwards from the next sitting.

Start with the diagnostic
Full ESAT hub
Not sure where to start? 8 places to go

Start with your question

Why visitors arrive: You have found a large pile of free ESAT material and do not know which part to do first, or when.

Your question: In what order, and by when, should I work through ESAT preparation?

You may also be asking

  • When is the October ESAT sitting?
  • Should I do full papers or single modules first?
  • Do I need to do all four papers and every practice question?
  • I am starting late, what should I skip?
  • Which modules does my course actually require?

Where to go next

  • Nothing here is new material. Every link goes to a page already published on this site. This page is the sequence, not the content.
  • The dates move with the calendar. Each phase is anchored to the October sitting, so the windows below are the real ones for the current cycle, not last year's.
  • Start late without panicking. If you are arriving part way through, the phase marked you are here is where to pick up. Do not try to catch up on everything you missed: work forward from today.
  • Start early and the plan still fits. If your sitting is a year away, work phases one to four at your own pace and take the timed phases in the twenty weeks before your own October. The order does not change; only the time you have to spend on each part does, and a candidate with a year has the one thing this material rewards most.
  • Only work the modules your course requires. Mathematics 1 is compulsory for everyone. The other two depend on the course, and the requirements differ by department.
  • You cannot change modules on test day. That decision is made at booking, which is why phase one is about confirming it rather than practising.

The plan

The ESAT plan as 8 phases counted back from the sitting: Work out what you are actually sitting, from 20 to 17 weeks before; Learn the methods before you drill them, from 17 to 14 weeks before; Mathematics 1 under the clock, from 14 to 11 weeks before; Mathematics 2 under the clock, from 11 to 9 weeks before; Your science module under the clock, from 9 to 7 weeks before; Full papers, all modules in one sitting, from 7 to 4 weeks before; Last full paper, then re-measure, from 4 to 2 weeks before; The final fortnight, from 2 to 0 weeks before.THE PLAN, IN WEEKS BEFORE THE SITTING02468101214161820THE SITTINGWEEKS BEFORE01Work out what you are actually sitting02Learn the methods before you drill them03Mathematics 1 under the clock04Mathematics 2 under the clock05Your science module under the clock06Full papers, all modules in one sitting07Last full paper, then re-measure08The final fortnight
THE PLAN, IN WEEKS BEFORE THE SITTING02468101214161820THE SITTINGWEEKS BEFORE01Work out what you are actually sitting02Learn the methods before you drill them03Mathematics 1 under the clock04Mathematics 2 under the clock05Your science module under the clock06Full papers, all modules in one sitting07Last full paper, then re-measure08The final fortnight
THE PLAN, IN WEEKS BEFORETHE SITTINGWork out what you are actually sittingLearn the methods before you drill themMathematics 1 under the clockMathematics 2 under the clockYour science module under the clockFull papers, all modules in one sittingLast full paper, then re-measureThe final fortnight048121620
Each phase as the weeks it takes, counted back from the sitting. The dated windows for the current cycle are in the plan below.

Eight phases, roughly twenty weeks. Each one names what you are trying to achieve, what to work through, and how to tell when you are done with it.

  1. [01] · 25 May to 14 Jun 2026

    Work out what you are actually sitting

    This window has passed. Show its 4 steps

    Before any practice: confirm which three modules your course requires, and get a baseline you can measure against later.

    Done when you can name your three modules from your own course page, and you have a diagnostic score written down.

  2. [02] · 15 Jun to 5 Jul 2026

    Learn the methods before you drill them

    This window has passed. Show its 2 steps

    At about 89 seconds a question, method choice decides the score more often than the mathematics does. Read the shortcut library first, then work one sample paper untimed, reading every worked solution.

    Done when you can name the faster route on a question before you start calculating.

  3. [03] · 6 Jul to 26 Jul 2026

    Mathematics 1 under the clock

    This window has passed. Show its 6 steps

    Mathematics 1 is compulsory for every candidate and is the module worth the most preparation. The Mathematics 1 practice questions by topic at test pace, then full Mathematics 1 modules against the clock in ESAT practice, 27 questions in 40 minutes. The sample papers' Mathematics 1 pages are for untimed method work.

    Done when you finish a module inside 40 minutes without leaving anything blank.

  4. [04] · 27 Jul to 9 Aug 2026

    Mathematics 2 under the clock

    This window has passed. Show its 6 steps

    Skip this phase only if your course does not require Mathematics 2. Check the course page rather than assuming.

    Done when the Advanced Mathematics modules take you the same time as the Mathematics 1 ones did.

  5. [05] · 10 Aug to 23 Aug 2026

    Your science module under the clock

    This window has passed. Show its 16 steps

    Work only the subject your course requires. Doing all three is a way of feeling busy rather than getting better.

    Done when your chosen science module is within a couple of marks of your Mathematics 1 scores.

  6. [06] · 24 Aug to 13 Sep 2026

    Full papers, all modules in one sitting

    This window has passed. Show its 2 steps

    Two complete papers in ESAT practice, sat end to end at full length, with the Paper 3 sample as a short timing rehearsal between them. Stamina and module switching are separate skills from the mathematics, and this is where they are built.

    Done when a full paper no longer leaves you slower on the last module than the first.

  7. [07] · 14 Sep to 27 Sep 2026

    Last full paper, then re-measure

    This window has passed. Show its 3 steps

    One final full paper in ESAT practice under strict conditions, the Paper 4 sample as the last check, then sit the diagnostic again and compare it against the score you wrote down in phase one.

    Done when the second diagnostic is clearly ahead of the first. If it is not, the gap is a method problem, not a practice-volume problem.

  8. [08] · 28 Sep to 11 Oct 2026 · you are here

    The final fortnight

    No new material. Revisit the formulas and the methods, work your own error log, and protect your sleep.

    Done when you stop learning and start arriving rested.

6 days until the October sitting opens on 12 October 2026.

Three things that decide the score

Three things that decide the score. Speed: each module is 40 minutes for 27 questions, about 89 seconds a question. Method: the route chosen in the first ten seconds decides whether the remaining eighty are enough. Guessing: a blank scores zero and a guess scores an expected fifth of a mark, because there is no negative marking.[01]89 seconds a question40 MINUTES27 QUESTIONSeach module separately timed[02]Recognition beats calculationFIRST 10 STHE REMAINING EIGHTYthe route decides whether eighty are enough[03]Never leave a blankBlank0GuessA FIFTH, EXPECTEDno negative marking
[01]89 seconds a question40 MINUTES27 QUESTIONSeach module separately timed[02]Recognition beats calculationFIRST 10 STHE REMAINING EIGHTYthe route decides whethereighty are enough[03]Never leave a blankBlank0GuessA FIFTH, EXPECTEDno negative marking
[01]89 seconds a question40 MINUTES27 QUESTIONSeach module separately timed[02]Recognition beats calculationFIRST 10 STHE REMAINING EIGHTYthe route decides whether eighty are enough[03]Never leave a blankBlank0GuessA FIFTH, EXPECTEDno negative marking
Each ESAT module is 40 minutes for 27 questions, about 89 seconds each. The route chosen in the first ten seconds decides whether that is enough, and with no negative marking a guess is always worth more than a blank.

[01] Speed

89 seconds a question

Each module is 40 minutes and 27 multiple-choice questions, separately timed. That budget is the single most important number in ESAT preparation, and it is why the worked solutions here lead with the fastest correct route rather than the most complete one.

[02] Method

Recognition beats calculation

With no calculator and no formula sheet, the route you pick in the first ten seconds usually decides whether the remaining eighty are enough. The shortcut library exists to make that recognition automatic.

[03] Guessing

Never leave a blank

There is no negative marking. A blank scores zero and a guess scores an expected fifth of a mark, so leaving anything unanswered is a straightforward loss. Practise eliminating two options fast and committing.

Common questions about the sequence

The order the questions on this page give. Practice questions first, in the subjects your course requires, because every question is filed under the specification skill it tests; then full papers, once stamina and module switching are what you are training; then ENGAA and NSAA past papers, once you have exhausted what is here. Starting in September, skip straight to the practice questions in your compulsory subject, sit one full paper against the clock, and spend what is left on the questions you get wrong rather than on new material.THE SEQUENCE[01]Practice questionsin the subjects your course requires;a wrong answer points at what to revise[02]Full papersonce stamina and module switchingare what you are training[03]ENGAA and NSAA paperslegitimate extra practice, once youhave exhausted what is hereSTARTING IN SEPTEMBER[01]Practice questionsstraight to the ones in yourcompulsory subject[02]One full papersat against the clock[03]What you get wrongspend what is left on it,rather than on new material
THE SEQUENCE[01]Practice questionsin the subjects your course requires;a wrong answer points at what to revise[02]Full papersonce stamina and module switchingare what you are training[03]ENGAA and NSAA paperslegitimate extra practice, once youhave exhausted what is hereSTARTING IN SEPTEMBER[01]Practice questionsstraight to the ones in yourcompulsory subject[02]One full papersat against the clock[03]What you get wrongspend what is left on it,rather than on new material
THE SEQUENCE[01]Practice questionsin the subjects your course requires;a wrong answer points at what to revise[02]Full papersonce stamina and module switchingare what you are training[03]ENGAA and NSAA paperslegitimate extra practice, once youhave exhausted what is hereSTARTING IN SEPTEMBER[01]Practice questionsstraight to the ones in yourcompulsory subject[02]One full papersat against the clock[03]What you get wrongspend what is left on it,rather than on new material
Practice questions come first either way. Starting in September is not too late, but the plan changes shape.
  • I am starting in September, is it too late? No, but the plan changes shape. Skip straight to the practice questions in your compulsory subject, sit one full paper against the clock, and spend what is left on the questions you get wrong rather than on new material.
  • Should I work the papers or the practice questions first? The practice questions, in the subjects your course requires. A handful of questions in one topic is the quickest way to find out where you stand, and every question is filed under the specification skill it tests, so a wrong answer points at something to revise. Full papers come later, once stamina and module switching are the thing you are training.
  • Do I need to do every practice question? No. Do the ones in the subjects your course requires, and none in the ones it does not.
  • What about ENGAA and NSAA past papers? Still useful. The ESAT replaced them and draws on the same material, so old papers are legitimate extra practice once you have exhausted what is here.
  • I am sitting another test as well. The pure mathematics overlaps heavily, so most of this plan still applies. There are separate pages for TMUA, MAT and STEP, each with free practice. Work the ESAT material first if the ESAT is the earlier sitting. If you came here looking for the PAT, Oxford retired it and now uses the ESAT, so this plan is the one you want.
  • How do I know the solutions are right? Every one is checked before publication against a documented standard. The quality assurance page sets out exactly what that check is.

For individual preparation. The free question sets on this site are for a candidate working on their own. They are not licensed for a school, college or tutoring provider to print and run with a class, to republish or resell, or to fold into a course sold by another provider. A school sitting a timed mock is welcome to the free sample pack, which comes with mark schemes and a syllabus reference, and a paper written for your own candidates and used nowhere else is a commissioned pack.

About this work

Lucas Rey, aerothermal systems engineer and academic tutor.

  • University of Oxford: DPhil Researcher, Thermofluids Institute.
  • University of Cambridge: Alumnus.
  • Rolls-Royce: Sponsored researcher (High-pressure turbine programme).

This site documents peer-reviewed research, open curriculum, and premium STEM mentorship in one interconnected portfolio.

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Where to go from here

Every paper, practice question and guide on this site is free to read. These are the things worth doing next.

The diagnostic and the practice questions linked above are free and stay free. One-to-one places are limited and taken by application, not by the hour.